The Bourne Identity star Franka Potente announces she's cancer free after secret health battle and reveals doctors dismissed her symptoms

Bourne Identity star Franka Potente has revealed she is breast cancer free after being secretly diagnosed with the disease in April 2023. 

The German actress and director, 50, said that doctors at first failed to find a cause for the pain in her side before she demanded further tests and a second opinion. 

Franka told Zeit Online: 'I can only recommend that everyone listen to their inner voice and, if necessary, get a second medical opinion if they have the impression that something is wrong'.

Speaking about how she felt when the tumour was discovered, she told the German publication: 'Imagine you are a house with fire on every floor. Should you first look for the fire extinguisher, turn off the beeping smoke alarm, call the fire department or run out? It's a total alarm!'

She went on to explain how her brush with illness had helped her 'grow' as she learned to appreciate herself and loved ones even more.

Franka, who starred alongside Johnny Depp in Blow, first found fame in 1998 thriller Run Lola Run. 

Run Lola Run starred Franka as a woman who who needs to obtain 100,000 Deutsche Mark in 20 minutes to save the life of her boyfriend and became an instant hit.

She is best known for her role as Marie in the Bourne Identity series. 

The Jason Bourne film series are centered on the character of the same name, who was originally created by author Robert Ludlum.

The amnesia-stricken assassin first made an appearance in The Bourne Identity, which was published in 1980.

The character went on to reappear in numerous sequels, many of which were penned by Eric Van Lustbader and Brian Freeman.

A television adaptation of The Bourne Identity premiered in 1988, and Richard Chamberlain starred as the assassin.

Matt Damon took on the role in the 2002 version of The Bourne Identity, and he went on to star in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, which were released in 2004 and 2007, respectively.

The actor subsequently took a break from the franchise, and cast of the 2012 feature The Bourne Legacy was led by Jeremy Renner, who portrayed Kenneth James Kitsom, also known as Aaron Cross.

The Good Will Hunting star returned to his old role for the most recently-released installment in the franchise, Jason Bourne, which debuted in 2016.

A television series set in the universe of the films, Treadstone, premiered in September of 2019 and ran for a single season.

A sequel to Jason Bourne was discussed by producers following the movie's release, although it lingered in the development stage for years.

Damon spoke about working on another entry in the franchise during an interview with Fatherly, where he stated that he would gladly join the project 'if we could crack the story.'

The performer did acknowledge, however, that creating a fresh take on the character's storyline could potentially be 'a tall order.'

The actor then stated that, if a solid story for the feature could be created, the feature's producers would likely 'be off and running.'